The R&D Laboratory Working Group (RADWG) Teams Up On Waste Management: Some Home Runs And Bases Are Loaded

Formed in 1992, the Department of Energy (DOE) Research and Development Laboratory Working Group (RADWG) has made significant progress in addressing waste management issues affecting DOE R&D laboratories. Comprised of members from 15 DOE R&D laboratories, the RADWG includes personnel who work in various parts of waste management operations, including waste management, health physics, analytical chemistry, quality assurance, and training. These members share their expertise and experience to formulate an integrated approach for improving waste management operations at the laboratories. RADWG members also work with DOE policy makers to consider and incorporate R&D laboratory waste management concerns into DOE policy and guidance. The RADWG is a unique organization within DOE in that it is not DOE Headquarters directed, and it operates using a field oriented, total quality management approach based on consensus and expert peer review. During the last year, the RADWG has finalized four recommended guidance documents in the areas of process knowledge certification of waste, methods for measuring radiological surface contamination and their technical basis, and sample preparation and analysis of waste for radiological contamination. The RADWG has also worked with several DOE and commercial organizations to implement new ideas for making laboratory waste management operations more efficient and cost effective.